Algirdas Šemeta, Commissioner responsible for anti-fraud, welcomed Member States' formal adoption today of the Pericles 2020 programme to help protect the euro against counterfeiting.

Commissioner Šemeta said: "The Euro is one of the EU's most valuable assets. So we must do all we can to protect it from criminal abuse. We also have to protect honest businesses and citizens from ending up with fake money in their pockets. Pericles 2020 will ensure that the authorities responsible for preventing, detecting and clamping down on euro counterfeiting are supported and well-informed, and can work together in an environment of mutual trust and information exchange."

Pericles 2020 will finance training, exchange and assistance programmes designed to better equip authorities in the fight against fake euros and related fraud. The euro continues to be an attractive target for organised crime groups active in counterfeiting money, not only in Europe but also in other regions of the world. The international dimension of counterfeiting calls for supranational coordination in tackling it. The Pericles 2020 programme will reinforce the continued vigilance, training and technical assistance, needed to effectively protect the euro against counterfeiting. Pericles 2020, which is worth around €1 million a year, will enter into force the day after the Regulation is published in the Official Journal.